Tamers Legacy 0, Book 1: The Original Digi-destined
by GWAtti
Summary: Before the tamers beat the Chaos; Before Ryo battled Millenniummon; Before the DigiDestined of Japan defeated Apocalymon and Myotismon; there was another team. Their adventure would set the stage for the rise of the Digital Hazard. Ten children called to the Digital World to save it from the evil Apocalymon. This is the first part of the story of how Atticus Kwalroc became a shade.
1. Prologue

_Italics_ = thoughts

"Quotes" = dialogue

underlined = reading something that is written

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon or any of its characters. I do however claim ownership of any original characters introduced.

* * *

Prologue

A stiff wind blows through the village as a young man carries a jug of water from the well toward his home. The heat is stifling, but he had long since grown used to the intense weather of his desert home. Still, his sweat glistens in the midday sun as he finally reaches his home and enters.

As he sets down the jug of water, his father quickly turns off the television broadcast. "Did our Ayatollah give another speech, father?" the boy asks.

"Yes, but it's the same message as always, Zahed," the man replies. "Glory to Allah. Glory to Iran. Death to America…"

"Is that not good?" Zahed asks curiously. The man glances at him for a moment before returning his gaze to its original position. "It's just…typical. I needn't hear condemnations of the Great Satan every day. Sometimes I wish Khomeni would talk to some of the plight we face here…"

"Father, he is the Ayatollah. Is it not sacrilegious to call him by his name like that?" Zahed asks fearfully. His father sighs and lowers his head. "You are right of course. You'll have to forgive this old man. Allah just inspires me to speak my mind sometimes…" He stands and turns to face his son. I see you've got some water for us. "I'll get started on preparing dinner and cleaning some things up around here. Why don't you head back into town and spend some time with the other boys? Just be back by sundown."

"Oh father, I can stay and help," Zahed offers but the man shakes his head. "You need to get out and spend time with people your own age. You won't be a boy forever and it's harder to make friends once you're older. You need to have friends in the community."

"But father…"

"No buts, Zahed. Go play." Zahed opens his mouth to retort again but the look his father gives him silences him. He turns back around and heads out the door, dragging his feet as he heads toward the village square. _Life is so boring. Pray five times a day, do your chores, and then talk to people who haven't got a clue… I just wish something different could happen for once…_

He soon arrives in the center of town, and notices several other boys playing a game. He tries to gather up enough courage to walk over and join them, but eventually just sighs and seeks a seat in the shade. _I don really wanna play with them anyway…_

He sits for a few minutes, just staring at them and getting lost in thought before he is suddenly pulled from his contemplations by a soft-spoken voice: "What are you doing sitting alone over here, young man?" Zahed looks up to see a young man in a white robe standing over him, looking at him curiously. "Nothing, sir," he answers quickly. "I was just…a little tired and wanted to get out of the sun."

"Oh I see. Quite hot out, I suppose," the man responds, giving a light smile. "You looked to be avoiding those other boys, and I wanted to check up on you." Zahed tries to return the smile but only manages a neutral expression.

"I must say, you look rather gloomy: more so then would be expected if heat was the only issue."

"I'm just…a little bored I guess…" Zahed responds reluctantly. "I don't really like any of the games the other kids play and there's just usually nothing else to do…"

"So you sit in the shade and think? I would say that's a much better thing to do with one's time," the man responds in kind.

"Glad someone else thinks so…" Zahed states as he lowers his gaze again.

"You know, I've been looking for the right person to give this to, and I think that person might be you." The man reaches into his pocket and takes out a small, light blue device before offering it to Zahed. Zahed cocks his head at it for a moment before taking it and asking, "What is it?"

"Well, think of it as a ticket…a ticket to an adventure waiting for you to step forward."

"Ok, but what is it? I've never seen a device like this. Is it a miniature television?"

"No. It's a rather special device. One that you should always keep close. The journey ahead will test you, but you may find some new friendships over its course if you muster the courage to step forward and the resolve to stick by them.

"How do you know all of this?" Zahed asks as he turns his gaze upward. To his surprise, the man is gone. He looks down once more at the device in his hand. It's approximately square in shape, with one button to the left of its screen and two buttons to its right. There's a tiny black antennae at its upper left corner and a square screen in the middle, surrounded by a circular outline with mysterious symbols. Zahed squints at the symbols but cannot make any of them out. He once again looks up and around, but is unable to spot the man.

He plays with the device for a time, trying each of the buttons, though nothing happens. As the sun begins to sink, Zahed pockets the device and stands, resolving to head home. _I guess I can try to figure out tomorrow… Wonder if I should bring it into my house… For all I know, it could be dangerous…_

He contemplates his options as he walks, finally deciding on keeping it close as the man suggested as he arrives at his home. He can hear his father already preparing dinner as he enters and heads into the sitting room to flip on the television. As he sits down to watch the program, the device in his pocket lets out a beep and he pulls it out. "What the…" He clicks the button on the left and it ceases its beeping. "Huh…wonder what that was all about…

"It was me! I was trying to call you!"

"Ahhh!" Zahed shouts upon hearing the voice. "Who's there?"

"I'm over here! On your left! Now your right! In the middle!" Zahed keeps moving his eyes around the room until finally they return to the television screen where a tiny white pixelated figure is dancing on the screen. "Chop chop, human! We have work to do!"

Zahed stares in shock at the screen, as if not believing his eyes and ears. "Are you…inside my television…?" he asks.

"Is that what you call this box? I was told to wait here until I could see someone, and now I see you! So stop dallying!"

"What in Allah's name are you talking about? Don't answer that! How are you even talking? What are you even?" the boy asks, clearly beginning to question his sanity. The device in his hand begins to beep erratically and he looks back down at it. It's beeping gets more rapid and its screen lights up, eventually becoming so intense as to completely blind him. He tries to blink his eyes, but everything just falls dark.

* * *

"And your hair is stupid. Who did it? Your mommy? Oh, that's right! She's dead!" A girl begins to cry as another hurls one insult at her after another. "There's nothing wrong with my hair, Ying! Why do you have to be so mean?"

"Why do you have to be so giddy and sunny?" Ying retorts, gliding her hand through her own shiny black hair. "Nobody likes seeing a stupid girl smiling all the time. It detracts from us prettier and smarter ladies."

"Yea!" a troupe of girls shout in unison behind her. "You just need to be reminded every now and then," Ying continues while giving a crooked grin. The other girl dashes away crying while Ying and her friends laugh. "That was great, Ying. You really put her in her place," one of the girls in her posse states in compliment.

"Yea! I'll bet she doesn't stop crying until she gets home to her daddy!" another adds.

"Serves her right for talking to Jacen today. Everybody know he's mine," Ying responds as the girls begin to walk away from the school.

"Anyone wanna come by my place?" A third girl asks as they walk. "We can do our homework together and I'm sure my parents wouldn't have an issue with you all sleeping over."

"Wish I could, but my dumb step-mom grounded me for talking back to her," Ying replies with a roll of her eyes. "And I need to get my hair care kit back, otherwise these lovely locks are going to get stale, and I just can't have that."

"Why don't you just tell your dad to make her give it back?" the first girl asks.

"I already did! He just does whatever she wants now. Says she's right that a little discipline would be good for me. I think it's just because he doesn't want to get divorced again."

"Oh, Sorry to hear that Ying. That really sucks."

"Tell me about it…" Ying groans.

"Well, I guess we'll all see you in class tomorrow. Bye Ying!" The three girls wave goodbye and take off down a street while Ying continues walking on her own path home.

After walking for a while, she notices a man following her and quickens her pace. When he likewise speeds up, she turns into an alley and hides behind a dumpster, pulling out a stick of mace spray. _Come and get it, creep._

The man likewise turns into the alleyway, but stops at its mouth, and calls out, "I know you are here, Ying. I mean no harm. I just wish to speak to you. Please come out." Ying moves out from her hiding spot, holding the pepper spray up. "Who are you and why are you following me, creep?!" she practically spits.

"Well I saw how you ran that poor girl off earlier, and I was just a little concerned. Why did you do that to her?"

"None of your business! What gives you the right to nose around in my business anyway?" The man sighs. "I was told I'd know who I was looking for when I saw the person, and it seems that person is you. You require a lesson in the merits of kindness and cooperation with others."

"I'm not interested in any religious hogwash you want to profess, so beat it before I spray you and call the cops!" The man digs into his pocket and pulls out a tiny blue device before tossing it at Ying. "A gift. Something to help you on the journey you are about to embark upon."

Ying picks up the device and looks at it. She had never seen anything quite like it, but it looked like a tiny computer or something. "What is it? Is it gonna read me a prayer or something?"

"No. Nothing like that," the man responds. "Just hold onto it. You'll learn to use it as time goes on."

"Well maybe I don't want your stupid device!" she shouts as she tosses it back at the man, who allows it to land at his feet. "I would not advise abandoning it."

"Well I didn't ask you!" Ying shouts as she rushes at him and covers her own eyes before she sprays a thick mist in the man's face. As she removes her arm from her eyes, the man has vanished, the blue device still sitting on the ground where it had landed.

"Hmph. Scared him off. Good!" As she begins to step out of the alley, she turns back and stoops down to pick up the device, turning it over in her hand. "Suppose I could sell this and get a new dress…or more hair product so that I don't have to listen to that stupid bitch." She pockets it before continuing on her way home.

She enters her apartment and immediately heads towards her room, though her step-mother calls out to her: "Ying, could you come in here and help me with preparing dinner?" The sound of the door slamming gives the woman her answer. Ying jumps onto her bed and takes out her books, starting in on her homework. _Stupid math… Stupid history… It's not like I'll ever need any of this…_ She tosses the books aside and instead pulls out a magazine, laying back and flipping through it to her heart's content.

Her step-mother knocks on her door every so often, but she mostly ignores it. "Ying, your dinner is getting cold! Get out here!" the woman finally shouts around 8:30.

"I'm busy!" Ying shouts.

"If you don't get out here right now, I'll be having a talk with your father."

"Go ahead! I'm not doing anything wrong!" Ying screeches back. The sound of footsteps walking away from her room causes her to relax again, though the relaxation is short lived, as a beeping suddenly sounds from her pocket. "What is it now?" she grumbles as she digs into her pocket, pulling out the blue device. "Uggh, stop beeping!" She tosses it across the room, where it hits her computer's screen before falling onto the desk.

"Finally! You answered! I've been trying to get through to you for, like, ever!" Ying stiffens and looks up from her magazine. "I must be hearing things…"

"No, you're not. It's me! I'm over here!" Ying cranes her head towards her computer, which had mysteriously turned on. Sitting on the screen was a tiny pixelated pink rabbit looking creature, who flails her four ears at the girl. "Come on! I've been waiting at this box forever! Let's get a move on!" Ying lets out a scream of fright, causing the creature on her screen to recoil with fear as well. Both the computer screen and the device glow luminously, blinding Ying's view of the room before all goes dark.

* * *

"And that, children, is how Ethiopia drove off the invaders from Italy and maintained control of the territory. Are there any questions from the class?"

"Yea. Why did the invaders from Italy try to take our land? What did we do to them?" a student asks.

"Well, nothing. Such was the way of the world back then: peoples would try to take things from other peoples."

"But it's different now?" another student asks.

"Well, yes. Nowadays, no peoples would try to take the land of other peoples. The world would frown upon it."

"I get the feeling the world wouldn't care if it was us," a third student speaks up.

"And why is that, Tefer?" the teacher asks, clearly perturbed by the boy's remark.

"Well…why do they need to wait for someone to attack us before they can help us?" Tefer asks. "If they cared about us, why not help us with other problems?"

"Like what?" a girl in the front turns around and asks. "You heard Mr. Mouzzou: Ethiopia can handle itself just fine without letting foreigners in."

"Ok, but it's not like most people in our country have a good standard of living," Tefer rebuts. "I mean, the peoples of Europe seem to do a lot better than us, and I was just wondering why."

"Because they decimated our continent," another boy in the class retorts. "They took our wealth."

"Now now, children. That topic is a rather complex one, which you may not yet be ready to discuss. Let's keep on topic."

Tefer slumps back into his seat and places his head in his hand. The day was nearly over, but he still had to head to the library after this to do homework, and then he had to head home outside the city limits to help his pa herd the animals back into their pens. The mere thought of walking that distance again was exhausting and he begins to feel himself nodding off, but quickly forces himself back to consciousness, just before a bell can be heard. "Oh, it seems we are out of time for today. I will see all of you in three days to resume lessons," Mr. Mouzzou states with a broad smile.

The children grab their books and bags and head out the door into the humid, sunny streets, each marching off on their own way. Tefer pushes himself forward, trying to keep as much in the shade of the buildings as he can and he heads across the city to the library on his path home. As he rounds a corner, he bumps into a man and falls backward, his books spilling out of his bag.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, young man," the older gentleman apologizes as he moves to help Tefer pick up his books. "I should have been watching where I was going."

"No, no sir. It was my fault. I was hurrying and I shouldn't have rounded that corner so quickly," Tefer responds, equally as apologetic.

The man glances at one of the books before saying, "Guns, Germs, and Steel. That's some advanced reading. How old are you?"

"Thirteen, sir," Tefer responds as he looks up to the man to take the book from him. He pauses as he realizes the man has lighter, though not quite white, skin.

"Thirteen? Must be very bright if you're reading about all this already," the man states politely. Tefer nods to him and takes the book, shoving it into his bag. "I like reading about history…"

"An interesting topic to be certain. What topics interest you most?"

"Things like…war…imperialism…you know…" he states nervously while keeping his gaze down.

"Rather dreary and miserable topics. I apologize if I am making you uncomfortable. It wasn't my intention to pry." When the boy stays silent, the man continues. "The world can be a cruel place, but a little bit of hope can go a long way. Why don't you take this? A small gift. I'm sure you'll make use of it soon." The man digs into his pocket and pulls out a small blue device before handing it to Tefer.

Tefer takes it and turns it over in his hand before asking, "What is it?"

"That's something you will need to discover on your own. Keep it close: you'll need it for the journey upon which you shall embark."

"Journey? What do you mean?" he asks as he looks up, but the man has mysteriously vanished. He looks in all directions, but is unable to find him again. After a minute or so, he looks back down at the device still in his hand, shrugs to himself, and continues on his way.

The library is predictably empty, and he marches right up to the front desk, pulling out several of the books from his bag. "I'd like to return these, please…and check out a new one or two." The lady at the counter takes each book and hands him a receipt. You can take out as many as three more. I trust you know where to look for what you want?"

"Yes, ma'am. But if any of the computers are open, I'd like to get one now. Do my homework first."

"Hmm…" the woman mutters as she checks a paper behind the desk. They're almost all open, so head right in." She opens the gate to the back room for him and he scurries right in, jumping immediately onto a computer. _Guess I'll start with History…_

He goes through a few articles, taking notes here and there to answer his homework questions, until he is interrupted by the sound of beeping. He looks down at the blue device he had laid on the desk next to the keyboard, and its screen flashes in tandem with the beeps. Picking it up, he scrutinizes it for a minute or so before pushing the button on the left of the screen, causing the beeping to stop. "Huh. Wonder what that was about…"

"Hi there!" a voice shouts at him from the computer speakers, causing him to fall back from his chair in surprise. "Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." Tefer climbs back up to the desk and looks in shock at a pixelated, worm-like creature who wasn't there before staring back at him from the screen. "Uhhh…must be some kind of ad…"

"Ad? What's an ad?" the creature asks, causing Tefer to stiffen again. "An…interactive ad maybe?"

"You know defining a word with itself usually isn't helpful."

"Uhhh…ok…what do you want? I can't really buy anything, so if you wouldn't mind letting me get back to my work…"

"I'm here about your work! The work we have to do. I've been waiting for you!"

"Waiting for me?"

"Uh huh!" the creature answers. "Are you coming?"

"Coming where?" Tefer asks, clearly confused. The worm doesn't manage to answer him: the light from the screen and the device grow fiercely intense, blinding Tefer, before all goes dark.

* * *

A rooster crows and young girl rolls out of her bed, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms and legs. She quickly tosses away her nightclothes, pulling on a pair of shorts, a bra, a sleeveless pink tee, yellow socks, and mud-covered shoes. She does her hair up quickly into a pony tail before heading out to the yard to begin her chores.

The morning air is still cool as she steps out, and she basks in it for a few seconds before breathing a contended sigh and heading straight to the chicken roost. She expertly collects the eggs in a basket before standing to leave, exiting the hen house only to stop short as she sees a young man wandering the property.

"Excuse me!" she shouts, laying the basket down gently before stepping forward. "Excuse me, sir. Are you lost? This is private property…" The man looks at her with a degree of surprise before clearing his throat and replying, "Umm, yes young lady. I'm afraid I might be. Where is the road?"

"That way," she says, pointing. "You follow it, and you'll get into town."

"Ah, I see. Thank you most kindly," the man says, giving a slight bow. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. But it's Sakia. Sakia Folego."

"Well, thank you, Sakia. By the way, your farm is quite lovely…"

"I wouldn't call it a farm. It's just our home."

"Well it's in a good spot. Do you own that cave up the way as well?"

"Cave?" Sakia asks, giving the man a confused look.

"Yes. Just up the way. I found this there." He reaches into his pocket and takes out a tiny blue device. Sakia steps forward and take it from him, looking it over. "In a cave you said?"

"Yes, just up that way. I slept there last night. I hope that isn't an issue." Sakia starts walking in the direction he had pointed, but turns around after a few seconds, "Is it far?" she asks. She frowns as she notice that the man had vanished. She looks once more at the device before continuing up the hill, eventually finding the cave the man had mentioned.

She enters, the cave, which turns out to be quite deep. She looks around for any other signs of life or habitation but none seem to be there. "Hmm…I guess some hiker could have accidentally left it some time ago. Doesn't look like anyone lives here…"

The device in her hand begins to beep and she holds it up, looking at its flashing screen before hitting one if its buttons, which seems to silence it. "What an odd device…"

"Is someone there?" a voice calls out, startling Sakia. "Who's that? How long have you been in this cave?" she calls out.

"Oh, I've been here quite awhile. I can't see you… Are you a human?" Sakia grows uncomfortable with the remark. "Uhhh, do you mean you aren't?"

"Nope. I'm a digimon!"

"…a what?"

"A Digital Monster!" the voice replies. Sakia doesn't get a chance to react to that comment, as the device in her hand beeps and explodes into light, blinding her before all goes dark.

* * *

A boy pulls his hood up at he walks through the park, rain coming down in a light drizzle. His beige khaki pants are slightly torn and his gray hoodie quickly becomes soaked as the rainfall speeds up. His glasses fog over and he grumbles as it becomes more difficult to see.

As the rainfall turns to a downpour, he groans again and looks around rapidly for shelter. He follows a path of concrete steps up to a concrete hut and ducks inside, throwing off his hood and slouching down against the wall. His hair is soaked despite having had his hood up and he grumbles at his misfortune. _Rain couldn't wait till I got home… If there's a God, He definitely has it out for me… At least I can be dry here and wait it out. It really can't get worse._

The downpour seems to get worse and he again groans. _Curses! I jinxed myself again!_ He hears rapid footsteps approaching a man in a white robe and hood rushes in from the downpour, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Rain drove you in here too, huh?" the boy asks. The man looks down at him and laughs. "Yep…looks like it."

"How long you think it'll go?"

"I'm not sure. Could be awhile," the man responds as he takes a seat across from the boy. "So what's your name? I'm called Gennai."

"Ren. Ren Seishuu," the boy replies.

"You live here in Shinjuku?" Gennai asks.

"Yea. You?"

"Not I. Not even a native of Tokyo."

"You vacationing here?" Ren asks.

"No. I'm here on business," Gennai answers. "It's important business too. My home greatly depends on my success."

"Oh, wow. That sounds kind of cool and exciting. Is it secret? I mean, can you tell me what the business is?"

"No, no. Nothing secret. I'm here to find someone. I was told I would know when I had found him."

"Wow. I mean…good luck, you know? Hope you find this guy."

"I'm rather confident that my mission will be a success," Gennai assures as the rain begins to lighten.

"Oh, finally. It's stopping," Ren states with relief. "Well, I gotta get home before it gets too late. It was nice talking to you!"

"Hold on a moment, Ren," Gennai calls to him as he stands up, getting the boy to stop in the doorway. "I wanted to give you something." Ren cocks his head in confusion as the man pulls out a small blue device and hands it over to him. "What is it?"

"It's a special device that I think you'll find helpful in what is to come. Keep it close and keep your curious attitude. It'll lead you to great things: I can already see that."

"With what is to come? I don't get it, what do you mean?" Ren asks as he looks up, but to his surprise, Gennai is gone. He looks back down at his hand to be sure he hadn't imagined the whole thing, but the device is still there, gleaming back at him. _Ok…this is kind of weird…I mean, where did he go? Was he a….ghost?_ He glances around one last time before turning around and marching off. _Best not stick around. With my luck, I'll end up being haunted for an eternity._

The sun has entirely set by the time he arrives home. His parents don't seem to have returned, so he pops some quick make food into the microwave and takes it to his room, pulling out his books and booting up his computer to start on his homework for the weekend.

His eyes fly open quickly at the sound of beeping, and he yawns before checking the clock. _9:30 PM?_ _I must have dozed off…_ His eyes fall on the blue device siting on his desk, which appears to be the source of the beeping. Its screen flashes on and off and he presses one of its buttons, which seems to quiet it down.

"Well you certainly took your time about answering my call…" Ren quickly turns around and scans his room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "…who's there?"

"Uhh, that'd be me, human," the voice answers.

"Where are you? Are you a…ghost? Please! I don't wanna be haunted!"

"Goodness, I doubt anyone would want to be haunted! I'm over here! Turn around!" Ren spins back around to his desk, spying a pixelated yellow creature on his computer's screen. "Hi there! I've been waiting for someone to show up! Glad someone finally did."

"…are you…in my computer?" Ren asks, leaning in closer.

"Is that what this box is called? Com…pu…ter… Easy enough to pronounce!"

"How are you talking to me? Am I in a chat room? I don't think my mom would like it if I was talking to a stranger online…"

"Stranger? But I was told the person who showed up here would be a friend!" Hardly a second after he says this, both the computer screen and the tiny blue device burst into light, blinding Ren before all goes dark.

* * *

The school bus stops and its doors fly open, allowing a boy with short blonde hair to board. The bus is already packed with rowdy kids and he pushes his way toward the back, sliding into a seat next to an awaiting red-head. "Good morning, Marcus. I guess you're not sick anymore?"

"I was never sick, Neal," Marcus says hushedly. "Just told my mom I wasn't feeling well so that I could stay home and compete in that online Magic tournament."

"Oh, so you competed? That's awesome! Did you win?"

"Not even close… Some Japanese kid won."

"Well that stinks. I guess there's always next time."

"So, what'd I miss yesterday?" Marcus asks, somewhat indifferently.

"Nothing interesting, as you could guess," Neal replies. "More stuff about Egypt and Mesopotamia in history class. More letters instead of numbers in Algebra. And we got assigned a new book for English class: The Pearl, by John Steinbeck."

"As if any of us are actually gonna read it," Marcus says with a chuckle.

"I don't know. It's the same author as that book from last year – Of Mice and Men. I liked that one…"

"You would, nerd…" Marcus says with another chuckle.

The bus pulls up to the school and lets the children out. Marcus and Neal pass through the school's front doors and Marcus takes a sharp turn left, as Neal halts and looks at him questioningly. "Marcus… Homeroom is this way, remember?"

"Yea, I'll meet you there. I just wanted to hit the computer lab real quick. I forgot to print a doctor's note, and I do not feel like having Principal O'Connor call my mom and give her a hard time about my absence yesterday." He hands Neal his book bag. "Here, do me a favor and get my books from my locker. I'll meet you in homeroom!" He dashes off before his friend can protest.

Marcus maneuvers his way down the hall and slips into the computer room, being careful not to be spotted by any faculty or staff. _Phew… Now…_ He nearly freezes in place as he sees a man in a white robe, sitting at one of the computers. _Shoot, I'm about to get busted. Maybe I can slip back out…_

"You look quite nervous, young man," the man at the desk says, causing Marcus to stop yet again. "Am I correct in assuming that you aren't supposed to be here?"

"Uhhh…yes sir… Mr… uhhh…"

The man stands, giving a reassuring look to the boy. "I'm not a teacher or staff here. You don't have anything to worry about." Marcus breathes a sigh of relief that he didn't even realize he had been holding.

"Quite brave to go against the rules. Still, sometimes it is what is required of us to accomplish the best outcomes."

"Uhhh…yea. I guess that's right," Marcus says with a nervous chuckle.

"Well, I suppose I'll get out of your way. Finish whatever it is you need to do quickly. You wouldn't want to be late for what awaits you." The man steps aside and gestures for Marcus to take the seat at the computer. The boy practically jumps into the seat and opens a browser and a program to create a letter. Almost as soon as he sits, he notices a tiny blue device sitting in front of the keyboard.

"Oh, sir! I think you forgot your…" he says as he turns around, but the man had vanished. "Huh. I didn't hear the door open. I'll just bring it to the lost and found once I'm done here!"

As he turns back to the computer, the device begins to beep, and he panics. "No! No! Stop! How do I shut this thing off?" he clicks all the buttons on it until it stops beeping. "Phew. I hope no teachers heard."

"You hope no teachers heard what?" Marcus practically falls out of his seat and starts scanning around the room nervously.

"What are you looking for?" the voice asks after a moment or so.

"Uhhh, nothing. I just lost something and I was gonna grab it and…go to homeroom," Marcus answers

"…Are you looking for me? I'm right in front of you…" Marcus looks down at the computer screen to see a tiny pixelated orange creature waving at him from within.

"You're…a computer program?" Marcus asks as he sits back down.

"No. I'm a digimon. And you're a human."

"What's a digimon?"

"It's what I am. You and I are supposed to work together, as I understand it."

"Huh? What do you mean…work together?" Both the computer screen and the tiny blue device burst into a flash of light, blinding Marcus before all goes dark.

* * *

"Edvard, must you be sent to my office every day?" A teenage boy with disheveled brown hair rolls his eyes as he leans back in his seat across from the principal of his school. His nose is bleeding and he holds a tissue up to it and scowls as the principal reprimands him: "How many times do we need to go through this? You have to stop picking fights!"

"I didn't pick this fight, Mr. Gutentaz," Edvard answers. "Randolph punched me first."

"Edvard, I have seven of your peers….seven! who say you through the first punch."

"Well then they're all liars!" Edvard barks back. The principal buries his face in his hands. "This is the third fight this week, Edvard. I told you I'd need to suspend you if this happened again."

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" Edvard whines. "I'm the one with the bloody nose!"

"And Randolph is the one with a bruised lip and a scraped knee. I'm sorry, but this is an automatic suspension."

"Whatever," Edvard grumbles, standing up and turning to leave. "Edvard, you'll need to go the detention room to wait for your mother to come and get you."

"No. I'll walk home."

"I can't let you do that," Mr. Gutentaz responds, but Edvard is already out the door. The boy marches right past the main desk and out the front doors of the school building before tossing his bloody tissue away, shoving his hands in his pockets, and starting his long walk home. _Randolph and his lying friends… I'll make him regret this…_

He kicks a can into the street as he continues his walk, grumbling various things to himself, until he stops on a street corner to await his chance to cross. "I assume something has gone very wrong for you to be mumbling to yourself like some kind of psychiatric patient." Edvard looks up at the man who had addressed him: a relatively young man wearing what appears to be a white robe. "Who asked you?"

"Well, I suppose no one. Still, any particular reason why you aren't in school right now?"

"I got suspended because I got into a fight. Not that it's any of your business."

"No…I suppose it isn't. May I ask what you were fighting about?"

"No," Edvard responds firmly as the light changes, enabling him to cross. The man follows briskly in his tracks. "That's one disagreeable attitude you've got there. Why would a young man like you be so disagreeable?"

"What do you care? You don't know me!" Edvard retorts with annoyance.

"Perhaps I do. Perhaps I'm very familiar with your process of thought."

"What do you want? Trying to sell me something? Yoga? Religion? A book? What?"

"I'm not trying to sell you anything, although now I feel rather inclined to give you something." He digs into his pocket and pulls out a tiny blue device. "Here. For you. Keep it close; you'll find it useful, I'm sure."

Edvard takes it in hand and looks it over. "What is it? What's all this stuff around the screen mean?" When he hears no answer, he looks up, and the man is gone. He looks around quickly, but is unable to spy which way the man had gone. He growls to himself, shoves the device into his pocket, and continues on his way.

As he rounds a corner, he stops short upon spying three constables standing on the far street corner and scurries back around the building he had passed. _Damn. Really don't need a truancy citation right now._ He glances around quickly before spying an alleyway and ducking down it.

As he moves down the alley, the device in his pocket begins to beep and he pulls it out, looking it over once more. "What? What do you want?" he shouts at the device before clicking its buttons. It soon stops beeping and he grouchily shoves it back into his pocket.

"Hello? Hello? Is this thing working? I can't see anything!"

Edvard quickly looks around the alley for the source of the voice. "Is…someone there…? Don't you dare jump out at me! I'll clobber you!"

"Oh wow! You sound tough!" the voice proclaims. "Wish I could see you: I'll bet you're huge!"

"Where are you hiding?" Edvard asks. "Come out and face me like a man!"

"You mean like a mon? Wish I could face you, but all I hear is your voice. " The device starts vibrating in Edvard's pocket and he pulls it out again. This time, it explodes in a flash of light, blinding him before all goes dark.

* * *

The school bell rings and children begin packing their bags, their teacher shouting from the front of the room: "Wait! Wait! I didn't say you could go yet! Get your bums back in your seats!" None of the children comply, tossing their book bags onto their backs and filing out of the classroom while the teacher simply collapses into her desk chair. "Oh fine… I suppose I'll just finish up next class…"

"You know nothing stops them once that bell rings," the last remaining student in the class remarks, as he comes to stand in front of his teacher's desk. The woman glances up at him, giving the lightest smile she can manage. "Oh course not, Dmitry. You young uns have too much energy to sit still any longer than you have to. I'm beginning to think I should keep the windows open – perhaps the Motherland's chill will keep you all sitting still."

"Uhh, we'd still manage to keep warm…" Dmitry says as he scratches the back of his head.

"If you're going to tell me that you all have already started imbibing, please don't. I'm well aware of all the methods one uses to keep warm and as long as I don't know anyone is drunk on vodka in my class, I won't have to report them."

"I swear, Miss Ivanov: I haven't drank anything!" Dmitry responds, a little nervously.

"I know you haven't. You're a good boy, Dmitry. Go home. Tell your ma I said hello. I'll see you next week." Dmitry nods to his teacher before exiting the classroom. He grabs his coat from his locker and heads out into the frigid air of Novosibirsk. The school grounds are empty already and snow is beginning to fall once more. Dmitry sighs at this before trudging forth down the street towards his home.

He soon reaches the lakeside and begins following along it, spotting several of his classmates on its icy shoreline. One calls out to him: "Hey Dmitry! Come over here! We got a dare for you!"

"I'm not so sure I'm interested…" Dmitry shouts back.

"What? You chicken to jump into the lake?" a girl in the group asks.

"…no…" Dmitry replies as he pauses. "But it's cold…I could get hurt…or…"

"Ha! He is scared!" the first boy taunts.

"Am not!" Dmitry shouts, walking over to them. "Fine. I'll jump in!"

"Do it!" a third says.

"I will!" Dmitry barks at him, stepping up and removing his jacket. He strips down before taking a flying leap into the lake, stiffening as the icy water stings every part of his body at once. He coughs as he resurfaces before boasting, "Ha! T…t…told you I w…w…wa…wasn't scared!" No one is there to hear his boasting, it seems, and he swims back to shore, realizing that they had stolen away his clothes. "Oh gr…gr…great! St…st…stupid D…D…Dmitry…"

"What are you doing diving into a frozen lake? You could catch hypothermia!" Dmitry shivers from the cold but looks to the source of the voice, a relatively young man wearing what appears to be a white robe. The man walks over to him and hands him his clothes back. "I thought it was odd that a bunch of children were running from the lake with clothing. Put these back on before you freeze!" Dmitry does as he is told, drying himself off with his undershirt before putting on the rest of his clothing and jacket. "Th…th…thanks…!" Dmitry manages to gasp out. "Th….th…that was…st…st…stupid of me."

"Yes, it was. You shouldn't unnecessarily toss yourself into danger. How can anyone rely on someone like that?" Dmitry doesn't answer; he only continues to shiver uncontrollably.

"Do you live far? We should get you indoors," the man suggests. Dmitry nods and points. "One…bl…b…block that way." Without another word, the man picks up Dmitry and carries him down the street, setting him down before knocking.

"My…m…m…mom isn't h…ho…home yet," Dmitry says, pulling a key from his backpack and opening the door. "Will you be alright on your own? You should get a fire going and sit near it. Wrap a blanket around yourself and drink something warm. You need to warm your core body first, then your extremities. I'm afraid I have other places I must be."

"I'll be...f…f…fine," Dmitry assures, giving a minor bow of the head to the man. "Th…th…thanks!"

"One other thing," the man says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small blue device. "Take this. I'm sure you'll find a use for it. Don't let it out of your sight."

"What…" Dmitry begins to ask. "You'll know soon enough," the man interrupts. "Let it be a reminder to you for now that you shouldn't do stupid things."

The man turns on his heel and walks away from the residence, Dmitry staring after him for a time before getting inside his home and shutting the door. He gets a fire going, changes his clothes, and wraps a blanket around himself, sitting down near the fireplace and waiting for the shivering to stop.

He flips on the television and sits quietly for a short while, but soon grows bored with the show. He pulls out and looks over the mysterious device he had been given, trying to read the odd symbols around the screen. After a few minutes, the device begins to beep. Dmitry punches the buttons, getting it to stop. _Ok, it beeps…but what else?_

"Why is it so dark in there?" Dmitry freezes upon hearing the voice and immediately looks up, glancing around the room. "I mean, how do you see anything? It's darker than my old cave!"

"Who's there?" Dmitry asks nervously, standing and dropping his blanket. "How'd you get in here?"

"Whoa! Easy! I didn't mean to startle you. I've just been waiting so long, to see something that I guess I got a little miffed when it was hardly much to see at all."

"Who are you? Where are you? What do you want?"

"Uhhh… I'm Gomamon. I'm right here. And I was just told to wait here until I saw a human, and here you are! Does that answer all the questions?"

"Well, then come out of hiding!" Dmitry shouts.

"I'm not hiding. I'm right here. Just look to your left. No wait, my left. Uhhh, turn the other way. There, stop!" Dmitry turns as directed until he is once again facing the television, where he immediately notices a white pixelated seal like creature waving at him. "Hi."

Before Dmitry can react, both the TV and device burst into light, blinding Dmitry before all goes dark.

* * *

"Dinesh! Dinesh! Didn't I tell you to get your chores done before you went to your room?"

"I did them, mom!" Dinesh shouts down nervously.

"Do you think I am blind, Dinesh?" his mother shouts back. "I can see that you haven't brought the trash down to the dump and that you still haven't set up the guest room. Chop chop! We have guests who will be here within the hour!"

"Ok, mom. I'll get right on it…in a bit!"

"No. Now! And don't you ever try getting one by me again. I swear, you need to consider getting more honest. No one likes a fibber!"

Dinesh groans and rolls from his bed, setting down the magazine he had been reading and putting his shoes on. He scurries down the stairs and gathers the bags of trash he is to carry before setting out.

The streets are abuzz with foot traffic, but then again they always are. Why so many people have to be crowded into so little a space, Dinesh would never understand. Part of him had a mind to just toss the trash into the street: it's what everyone else seems to do, but one thought of his father giving him the beating of a lifetime should he find out immediately put that idea to rest.

He reaches the dump and tosses the bags in. Several people appear to scavenge through the trash and Dinesh does his best to ignore them and walk away. He doesn't get far before a man stops him. "Please, young man. Can you spare any rupees?"

"Uhh, sorry. I don't have any." The man frowns at him and droops his head. "Thank you anyway, young one. Take care." Dinesh breathes a sigh of relief as the man leaves him and continues on his way, but another man, dressed in a white robe, steps in front of him. "I'm guessing you just lied to that poor man?"

"No! What makes you think that?" Dinesh responds nervously.

"Well the jingling in your pocket is one give away…" Dinesh's attitude immediately turns to annoyance. "Well, my money is my business! I don't need to give it away if I don't want to!"

"No, of course you don't," the man responds, "but candor may have been more respected."

"Who are you to lecture me, anyway?" Dinesh asks. "My dad is on the village council and he told me not to give my hard earned rupees away to untouchables!"

"Now now, young man. I wasn't looking to scold you so much as get you thinking," the robed man replies with a placating gesture. "If your insistence is on a fair trade, then may I propose you give that man what rupees you have, and I'll give you this?" He takes out a tiny blue device and shows it to Dinesh.

"What is it?" Dinesh asks, looking over it with curiosity.

"Well, it's a very special device; one you'll want to keep close at all times. I believe you will find it useful for the road that lies ahead of you."

Dinesh takes the device from the man. "And I can keep this if I just give a few rupees to that man?" The robed man nods.

Dinesh turns and scurries over to the beggar, who had resumed scavenging in the trash. "Here. This was my allowance from yesterday. That man over there said to give it to you." The beggar takes the rupees from Dinesh, replying with, "Thank you, but…what man are you talking about?"

"Him," Dinesh says, turning around and pointing, though the man to whom he had spoken was gone. "What? He was right…"

"Well, regardless. Thank you," the beggar man says graciously again before taking his leave. Dinesh stands in confusion for a time, glancing down at the blue device still in his hand. He eventually shrugs it off and heads back home.

He immediately dashes up the stairs to his room, closing the door and jumping back onto his bed. "Finally. Some peace and quiet," he mutters as he opens up the magazine. Only a few minutes later, while he was immersed in his magazine, the tiny blue device he had been given started to beep. He tried to ignore it at first, but its incessant sound eventually got on his nerves, and he tosses his magazine aside. "Uggh. What is it?" The screen flashes and he punches the devices buttons until the beeping and blaring stop. "Maybe this stupid thing wasn't worth the rupees I gave to get it…"

"What is rupees? Is that food?" Dinesh stiffens upon hearing the voice and turns around, realizing his TV had turned on. He grabs his remote and clicks it off. "Who's there he asks?"

"Me. And why'd you make everything go dark? Hard to see in this thing…"

"Mom! I think someone's in my room!" Dinesh cries out. No sooner had he shouted this, the device and his TV suddenly explodes into light, blinding him before all goes dark.

* * *

"En garde. Fencer's ready?" the referee states, glancing at both contestants. They both give a slight nod. "Fence!"

The two fencers advance, the first immediately lunging while the second parries and ripostes, landing his sword in his opponent's armpit.

"Point, Kwalroc!" the referee shouts. The two fencers return to their start positions. "En garde. Fencers ready?" They both nod. "Fence!"

Kwalroc advances quickly, his opponent retreating. His opponent makes a feint, and he goes to parry it before realizing it was not the real attack and his opponent jabs at him. Kwalroc steps back, but the sword hits his leg. "Point, Anastas."

The two once again return to their start positions. "En garde. Fencers ready?" Anastas and Kwlaroc nod. "Fence!"

Anastas advances, feints, and lunges, but Kwlaroc sees it coming this time, retreating, parrying, and riposting. Anastas manages to get back, but Kwlaroc advances quickly, jabbing and swiping to knock his foe's blade away. As they near the end of the strip, he feints, and Anastas falls for it. Kwlaroc makes his lunge and lands it square in his opponent's stomach. "Point, Kwalroc!"

Kwalroc and Anastas remove their masks and shake hands. "That was a good bout. I almost had you."

"Almost," Kwalroc responds with a smile. He glances at the bleachers and frowns, which draws his opponent's attention. "Something wrong?"

"No...it's nothing important."

"Oh, well…ok. I guess I'll get you at the next competition! If you have time this weekend, we should hang out."

"Sure. You know where I live…" Kwalroc replies, placing a hand behind his head.

"See ya, Atticus!" Anastas runs off and Atticus breathes out a sigh before heading off to the sidelines to remove his equipment.

"Atticus Kwlaroc, yes?" a referee asks as he approaches. "Yea. That's me."

"Good job today. You qualified for the regionals."

"Really?" Atticus asks excitedly, his green eyes practically lighting up.

"Yea. They're in three weeks in Tripoli. Be sure to register."

"Thanks! I will!" Atticus responds as he stands and gives a respectful bow of the head. As the referee walks away, Atticus's expression melts back to a saddened one. _He probably won't come to that one either… I mean, he promised he would be here and he's no where to be seen…_

Atticus bends back down, finishes packing his bag, and throws it over his shoulder, heading for the auditorium exit. As he gets outside, he looks around the parking lot and sags further. _Couldn't even make it to pick me up… Guess I'm walking home…_

He sets off, walking several blocks through the town. The air is very warm and the breeze is fair, but the nice day does little to raise the boy's spirits. As he stops at a corner, a man in a white robe steps up next to him to await the light. "What's that you're carrying? You a swordfighter?"

Atticus looks up at him and shakes his head. "No. Well, sort of… It's fencing."

"Do you enjoy it?" the man asks. Atticus nods. "Very much so."

"Then why do you look sadder than a boy who has lost his pet?" Atticus's frown deepens. "Uhhh…it's personal…"

"Is it a girl?" Atticus eyes widen. "No!" he responds quickly. "I'm only thirteen!"

"Alright calm down. The light's changed. Let's cross." The two cross the street together and the man continues to follow Atticus. "So what is eating you, hmm?"

"It's just… I just came from a match, and my dad promised he would be there this time, but he wasn't…"

"This time? I'm assuming he's missed before?"

"He always misses it. It's the same for everything. I'll ask him to come, he promises he will, he doesn't show, and when I get home, he'll say he's sorry and give me some present to make up for it."

"Why is he always missing?" the man asks.

"His job keeps him busy…" Atticus grumbles. "My mom tells me I should leave him alone, but I'd like just once for him to come see me fence…"

"Well, maybe you should talk to him. Let him know how important it is to you."

"Maybe…" Atticus mutters as he reflects. "Maybe when I see him later, I can tell him how I really feel about it… Thanks, mister."

"You're welcome. And, allow me to beat your father to it and do one more thing for you: a gift to cheer you up." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny blue device. "Here you are. I'm sure you'll find a use for it."

"What is it? Some kind of videogame?" Atticus asks as he takes it and looks it over.

"Well, in time, you will learn of its purpose. Always keep it close. And remember: don't be so distant. Let those around you know how you feel and trust that they care."

Atticus squeezes the device in his hand. "I'll try to remember. Thank you again!" As he looks up however, the white robed man is gone. He glances around the street, but sees not a hint of the man. Looking once more at the device, he pockets it and continues on his way, eventually reaching his home and noting his father's car in the driveway. _Well at least he's home…_

Atticus enters the house, finding his father on the phone, presumably with a client "Yes, yes. I am aware of that. No, that shouldn't be an issue. We can always… Yes, that was my thought too. We'll I'll tell him… Yes, I can handle that tomorrow. I'll call again when it's been handled. Bye." He hangs up and appears to notice Atticus for the first time. "Hey champ. How was school?"

"It was ok. I also won my fencing bout today…" The man's eyes suddenly widen. "Oh, I missed it again didn't I?"

"Yea… I kinda wanted to talk to you about it…"

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Atticus. That merger I've been working on for the last five weeks hit a bump and I had to sort it out. I'll make it up to you though."

"Well, dad, I really would like if you could…

The phone rings again, and his father holds up a hand. "Hello? Oh, hello Mr. Gounaris." His father puts a hand to the receiver. "Atticus, I gotta take this, but maybe we can talk tomorrow or on Monday." Atticus sags and frowns, but gives a slight nod before heading up the stairs to his room.

He closes the door and places his equipment in the corner before crossing to his desk and turning on his computer. _By tomorrow, he means next week, and by Monday he means next month. Why does he have to be so busy?_

He types and browses for a time before the blue device the man had given him begins to beep and flash. Atticus takes it and looks it over, but the screen doesn't appear to display anything: just flash on and off. He tries to make out the symbols around the screen, but none of them look familiar. He begins clicking the buttons, eventually getting the beeping and flashing to stop.

He stares at the device for another moment or so before setting it down and laying his head in his hand. "Wow, that is one sour puss…"

Atticus jumps back up, his eyes immediately being drawn to his computer screen, where a blue pixelated dinosaur like creature, which hadn't been there before, had appeared. He moves his mouse over it and clicks. "Hey! Stop that! It's hard enough to see you without a big white arrow in my face!"

"What the? How are you talking to me? Is this an ad?" Atticus mutters aloud, cocking his head in confusion.

"Nope. A wake up call. I was told to wait here until I saw someone, and I see you now, so I guess you're the one I was waiting for."

"…waiting…for?" Atticus asks in confusion. The next thing he knew, both his computer and the blue device had exploded into light, blinding him before all goes dark.


	2. Chapter 1: The First Day, Part 1

_Italics_ = thoughts

"Quotes" = dialogue

underlined = reading something that is written

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon or any of its characters. I do however claim ownership of any original characters introduced.

* * *

Chapter 1: The First Day, Part 1

"Human? Human? Now might not be the best time to take a nap…" a stout, white knight-looking creature remarks as he pokes Zahed. The boy groans as he comes to, his vision slowly focusing as the little knight stands over him. "You ok?" it asks.

"Ahhh!" Zahed shouts as he shoves himself away, crawling backward.

"Whoa! Easy! I didn't mean to spook you, human."

"What…what are you? Where am I?" he asks as he glances around at the jungle scenery surrounding him.

"I'm PawnChessmon," the creature replies. "What's your name, human?" Zahed looks quizzically at PawnChessmon, who appears to respectfully keep his distance as the boy's chest heaves. "But…what are you?" The sound of beeping reaches his ears and he digs into his pocket, finding the blue device he had been given. Its screen lights, displaying a picture of PawnChessmon, as well as some information:

PawnChessmon. Rookie level puppet digimon. Virus type. Special attacks: Pawn Spear, Pawn Buckler, Pawn Lightning, and Pawn Charge…

"Wow! Did the digivice tell you all of that!?" PawnChessmon asks excitedly.

"Digivice? This? You know what this is?" Zahed asks, holding it out to him.

"Course I do! It's a special device that is supposed to link a human and a digimon together. It means you and I are partners!" he exclaims as he steps towards the boy.

"What? Slow down! What's a digimon? And partners? Partners in what?" Zahed asks, holding his hand out to halt the little digimon's advance.

"I'm a digimon! Short for Digital Monster. And you and I are partners because we have to work together. I've been waiting forever for this day!"

"Ok, fine. PawnChessmon…is that your name?"

"Uh huh," PawnChessmon replies, nodding vigorously.

"Well, tell me where we are. How did I get here?"

"Well, right now we're in Leomon's territory. You came through the television. Right there." PawnChesmson points at a shattered and smoking device. "It uh…kinda broke when you came through…"

Zahed bends down next to the shattered television and picks up some of its pieces. "That doesn't make any sense… and I still have no idea where I am…"

"Sorry I can't be more helpful, human," PawnChessmon states as his tone becomes more depressed. "I…thought you'd be happier to see me…" Zahed turns to face the drooping rookie, bites his lip, and reaches out to touch him. "I'm sorry. I've been rude. I'm Zahed."

PawnChessmon lights up immediately upon being addressed and reached out to and takes Zahed's hand in both of his before shaking vigorously. "Zahed. Zahed. Zahed. I think I got it! Oh boy, it's gonna be so much more fun with you around! What do you wanna do first?"

Zahed stands up and looks around. "Well, to be honest, I gotta figure out exactly where I am and then figure out how to get home. Do you know where the nearest people live?"

"Ummm. I think there's a Budmon village that way. I've kinda just lived in that tree house right there while I was waiting for you." PawnChessmon points up at a tiny hut in the trees: one probably too small for even Zahed to fit inside.

"Ok, PawnChessmon, but are there any…human settlements nearby?"

"Nope. You're the first human I've ever seen in the Digital World."

"Digital World? You mean I'm in another world?"

"Uhh, I think so. At least Azulongmon always referred to the human world as another world."

"Who's that?" Zahed asks.

Before PawnChessmon can answer, a sound rings out over the canopy, which makes PawnChessmon quake. "Uh oh. That sounded like…"

The tree line suddenly blasts apart, revealing a giant orange insect-like digimon with clicking mandibles. "…Kuwagamon! Run!" Kuwagamon roars aloud and Zahed takes off after PawnChessmon, easily darting past him.

"Wait for me! I have stubby legs!" PawnChessmon cries as he hobbles as quickly as he can, with Kuwagamon leaping into the air to begin his pursuit of them. Zahed grinds to a halt, runs back, and snatches PawnChessmon just as Kuwagamon slams his mandibles down on the area.

"Tell me you know somewhere where we can hide from that thing!" Zahed huffs between breaths as he dashes away with PawnChessmon in his hands.

"Look for a cave with a tiny entrance! He won't be able to follow us if it's a tiny entrance!" Kuwagamon zips up and dives back down, slamming the ground as Zahed rolls aside to avoid being sliced in two. "…and run faster. He's gonna get us!"

"You know, you're not exactly light!" Zahed puffs out as he runs, scanning frantically for even the slightest opening in the nearby mountain face. Kuwagamon roars before taking flight once more, his mandibles clicking with excitement as he pursues his prey.

"Over there! On your left!" PawnChessmon shouts. Zahed cranes his head, noticing a thin crack in the rocks. "Are you crazy? I'll never fit in that!" Zahed shouts.

"I'll make it wider for you. Just trust me!" As Kuwagamon dives again, Zahed makes a sharp left and dashes toward the thin crack in the mountain's face. "Put me down! I got this!"

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Zahed throws the rookie forward and he dashes ahead, pointing his spear out: "Pawn Charge!" His legs pump quickly, increasing his pace and he jabs his spear into the crack, causing it to spread and widen slightly. "Come on!" he shouts to Zahed before squeezing his way through. Zahed reaches the wall and tries to press himself within, Kuwagamon having retaken flight and zipping toward him. "It's still too small! I'm stuck!"

PawnChessmon appears to shout, the sound echoing and driving Zahed to press harder. Zahed tries to suck in his gut and, slowly but surely, slides through the crack, suddenly falling into a deep chasm and shouting as he plummets downward.

* * *

Dinesh blinks his eyes as he comes to, discovering himself to be in a dark cavern. He pushes himself up to a sitting position and grabs his head. "Uggh…I have such a headache."

"You've got a headache? You landed right on top of me." Dinesh practically jumps at the sound of the voice, its source revealed to be a mushroom with a purple cap and magenta boots and gloves. "A little warning would have been appreciated.

"Ahhhh!" Dinesh screams, causing the mushroom to grab his ears. "Ugggh! Stop! That's so loud!" As Dinesh runs out of breath he ceases, though his chest pumps rapidly with shallow breaths. The mushroom removes his hands from his ears and crosses his arms, eyeing the boy with annoyance. "Are you done with the yelling?"

"Who are you? Where am I? What did you do to me!?" The mushroom makes a placating gesture. "Hey, I ain't done nothing. You's the one that came through the tiny dark box that I saw you in." He points at the shattered remains of a television. "I was told to wait until I saw a human in there, and you's the one I saw. So I'm guessing that makes you my partner…yay for me…"

"P…p…partner?" Dinesh asks. "What's going on!?"

"Hmmm…maybe we should start with names… I'm Mushroomon. You are?"

"….Dinesh…" he replies as he pulls the beeping blue device from his pocket. The device displays a picture of Mushroomon, as well as other information: Mushroomon. Rookie level vegetation digimon. Virus type. Special attack: Fungus Cruncher.

"Well, I guess the digivce told you all you need to know about me. So what about you? Are you always this much of a crybaby?"

"Hey! I'm not a cry baby!" Dinesh retorts.

"Oh I suppose that scream was a mating call?" Mushroomon asks mockingly.

"Well forgive me for not expecting to see a talking mushroom!"

The sound of an echoing roar interrupts Mushroomon before he can make a snarky reply. "Sounds like Kuwagamon has found some new prey."

"What's a Kuwagamon?" Dinesh asks, looking up into the inky blackness above.

"A big bully. But he can't get us in here." The two stare upward for next few minutes, as the sounds of Kuwagamon's roars get closer. Mushroomon appears to tense slightly as the roars get closer.

"Do you think he's…" Dinesh starts up after a few seconds.

"Ahhhh!" A shout echoes before something smashes onto the cave floor, startling Dinesh and sending him diving behind Mushroomon. Another shout soon echoes before someone else smashes down, right on top of the first.

"Ummm… Zahed…you're crushing me…"

"Sorry, sorry!" Zahed states in apology, moving off his partner and helping PawnChessmon to his feet.

"Oh thank goodness! Another person!" Dinesh shouts as he finally comes out from behind Mushroomon, the later of which remains in a cautious stance. Zahed looks up in surprise upon hearing the voice and peers through the dim light. "Huh? Oh wow! I'm not the only person here! Thank goodness!" Zahed quickly walks over to Dinesh and extends his hand. "I'm Zahed. You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"

"Uhhh…was kinda hoping you would know. Name's Dinesh," he replies, taking the other boy's hand.

"I'm guessing yous was the ones Kuwagamon was hunting?"

"That'd be an excellent deduction. I'm PawnChessmon: Zahed's partner. You?" Mushroomon gives a grumpy look to the other digimon before answering: "Mushroomon. This is my cave and you're trespassing."

"Isn't that human your partner?" PawnChessmon asks, confused. "If we're both partnered digimon, maybe we could work together…"

"I work better alone. Besides, I refuse to partner with a human who is so beneath me."

"Hey!" Dinesh objects. "Like you wouldn't be a little anxious if you woke up in some mysterious cave with a freaky looking think talking all nasty to you!"

Mushroomon was about to retort, but the sound of pounding and scrapping stops him, causing him to look up. "By chance…did Kuwagamon see you come in here?"

"Yea. He shoved his pincers through the gap to get me, but I managed to push myself through, before I fell down here. Why?"

"He can't get in here through that tiny hole. I don't see why there would be concern," PawnChessmon adds.

"He can get in if he makes it wider…" Mushroomon grumbles back. "We better move it, before…"

"The sudden sound of rocks snapping reaches their ears and they all turn and dash away as they notice boulders plummeting down toward them. Kuwgaamon's roar sounds out as he shoves his way into the cave and zips down rapidly toward them.

"What is that!?" Dinesh asks as he pumps his legs to keep up with Zahed. Zahed doesn't answer, instead stopping, Dinesh right after him, as they notice their partners engaging the insect in battle.

"Fungus Cruncher!" Mushroomon tosses a bunch of tiny fungi at Kuwagamon, which explode in his face, eliciting another roar of displeasure.

"Scissor Hands!" Kuwagamon's mandibles open wide and he lunges toward his attacker.

"Pawn Charge!" PawnChessmon dashes in and leaps, shoving his lance into Kuwagamon's face and causing him to narrowly miss as Mushroomon ducks beneath the mandibles before they clamp down. "We should probably run now!" PawnChessmon suggests.

"Not a chance. This is my cave…my territory. I ain't letting him run me outta it!" Kuwagamon roars loudly and lunches for them again, the two leaping apart to avoid being crushed. "But he's a champion! And we're just rookies! How are we supposed to beat him?"

"We're not! I will! Fungus Cruncher!" The attack again has little effect and seems to not even draw the giant insect's attention. "Scissor Hands!" Kuwagamon opens his mandibles and lunges at PawnChessmon, who cowers behind his shield: "Pawn Buckler!" The mandibles clamp down on the shield and Kuwagamon lifts its wielder off his feet, swinging him around over his head.

"Zahed! Zahed help me! I'm getting dizzy!"

"Let go of the shield!" Zahed yells at his partner. PawnChessmon does as he is bade and drops to the cavern floor, scurrying away as Mushroomon tosses another "Fungus Cruncher!"

"Ok. There's gotta be something we can figure out with these," Zahed mumbles mostly to himself, pulling out his digivice and clicking its buttons.

"What are you doing?" Dinesh asks, looking over his shoulder as the device lights up. Uhhh Kuwagamon… Champion level insect digimon. Virus type. Special attack is Scissor Hands. "We know all of this already! Come on! Gimmie something! A weakness! Even some details about him would help!"

"Hey, virus type! My device said Mushroomon is a virus type to," Dinesh butts in. "Does that help?"

"Huh? No, not really. PawnChessmon is virus as well. I don't know what that means!"

"Scissor Hands!" Kuwagamon clamps down again, narrowly missing PawnChessmon as he scurries fearfully to and fro. "Fungus Cruncher!" Mushroomon again tosses his explosive fungi, but to no avail.

"I don't know what to do!" Zahed whines. "That thing's skin is so tough, nothing's getting through it! I mean the mushroom is tossing exploding toadstools and he isn't so much as charred!"

"Maybe he isn't a fan of spicy mushroom?" PawnChessmon asks as he ducks down to avoid another lunge.

"Hey! Yea, that gives me an idea!" Dinesh says after a moment of thought, drawing a confused look from Zahed. "We could try curry!"

"What?" Zahed asks. What's that?" Dinesh ignores him and instead shouts to Mushroomon, "Try tossing some in his mouth!" Mushroomon leaps back as the mandibles slam into his previous position. "A few of my shrooms have already exploded in his mouth. It doesn't do anything, human!"

"Maybe we just need to up the flavor a bit!" PawnChessmon suggests. "Do what he says!" As Kuwagamon rears back and roars again, Mushroomon tosses his bombs into the insect's mouth: "Fungus Cruncher!"

"Now for the supercharge! Pawn Lightning!" Static discharges from his lance and blasts the bombs just as they enter, amplifying the explosion. Kuwagamon rears away, roaring from the burning sensation. He takes off toward the roof of the cave, soon vanishing from sight.

Dinesh and Zahed release a breath they hadn't realized they were holding as PawnChessmon recovers his shield and walks over to them with Mushroomon in tow. "Not a bad catch, human," Mushroomon mutters, causing Dinesh to place a hand sheepishly on the back of his head.

"Yea! He'll need to find some water to cool that off, but he'll be back…and we should really be gone by the time he does get back," PawnChessmon suggests.

"If only I coulda digivolved…I'd have showed him…" Mushroomon grumbles.

"Well you know, our best chance of that is staying with these humans," PawnChessmon chirps. "That's what Azulongmon said: that a human could make me stronger."

"Yea, yea. He said the same to me. Well, I guess you've ruined my home anyway. Not much a point in staying…"

"Wait, are we all going to travel together then?" Dinesh asks.

"Yea. We have to find a way out of here," Zahed declares. "Better to stick together, in case we run into that thing again."

"I agree," PawnChessmon enjoins. "Let's go! Who knows what adventure awaits on the way! It's gonna be so fun!"

"So…" Dinesh asks. "Where do we go?"

* * *

Marcus groans as he comes to, panicking slightly as he finds himself dangling off a steep cliff, held up only by his shirt, which had been caught on some roots sticking out from the cliff face.

"Whoa! Don't move! You have to stay calm!" a familiar voice pleads. Marcus turns his head upward, seeing a small furry orange creature with a tuft of yellow fur on its chest and a blazing tail and forehead. It looks a lot like the pixelated creature he had seen on the computer and it crawls carefully on the edge of the cliff, extending its paw down to him. "It's a good thing you woke up before those roots could break. Take my hand."

Marcus hesitates at first, but the creature's soft eyes and smile suggest that he might not be dangerous, and so he reaches up and takes the creature's paw. It struggles to pull him upward, largely failing in that regard, but does manage to get Marcus into a position where he could unhook his shirt from the roots and grab onto the rocks of the cliff face. The little orange animal relaxes and lets out a sigh of relief as Marcus clambers upward, finally pulling himself up to a safe position. "You're heavier than you look…"

"I'm not that heavy!" Marcus retorts as he takes a few calming breaths. "Where am I anyway? How'd I get here?"

"Oh. You mean you don't know?" the creature asks, clearly confused. "You're in the Digital World with me. You came through the big picture box."

"Picture…box…? What picture box?" Marcus asks. The critter lowers his gaze. "I uhh…may have gotten a little excited when I saw you coming through and may have knocked it off the cliff before you were all the way through…"

"You mean that's why I woke up dangling from a cliff?" Marcus asks, a little agitation rising in his voice. The creature appears to note this agitation and averts its gaze with a small degree of shame. "I'm…sorry… Please don't be mad at me…"

Marcus's face softens and he scratches the back of his head. "Well… I guess no harm, no foul." Marcus kneels silently for a moment or two and when the creature still doesn't return its gaze, he speaks up: "I'm Marcus. Don't suppose you have a name?"

"Coronamon. I'm Coronamon," the creature answers.

Marcus inches closer to him, trying to discern exactly what he is. "That's fire on your tail and head, isn't it? Doesn't it hurt?" The creature finally looks back at him, giving a look of clear confusion. "No. It's supposed to be like that."

Marcus reaches out slowly to touch Coronamon, as if expecting him to bite or flee. Coronamon however only stares curiously at him, allowing him to touch his flaming forehead. The flame is oddly cool: not burning his hand at the touch. Marcus moves his hand down to feel the fur on Coronamon's torso, finding an odd roughness to it. "What are you?" he asks.

"I told you before. I'm a digimon. Or I suppose more specifically your digimon partner," Coronamon replies. "I was told to wait here for a human to appear and now here you are."

"But what is a digimon?" Marcus asks.

"Well… It's what I am," Coronamon answers simply. "I'm not really sure how else to answer that." Marcus remains unsatisfied with the answer but doesn't prod further on the subject. "Ok," he remarks as he leans back. "So I'm in some Digital World and I got here from a magic picture box and you've been waiting for a human to appear….right?" Coronamon nods, his light smile beginning to return.

"Ok, so…how do you know that I'm the one you've been waiting for? I mean, there are lots of humans and I'm only thirteen." Coronamon waddles away from Marcus but soon returns with a tiny blue device in his paw. "This is how I know. You have a digivice. Gennai said that a human would come with one of these and I'd be his partner."

Marcus takes the device from him and looks it over. "But this isn't mine. This other guy accidentally left it behind in the computer lab. "He must have been the one you were waiting for."

The device begins to beep and Marcus looks down at it, noticing it displays an image of Coronamon and a description: Coronamon. Rookie level beast digimon. Vaccine type? Special attacks include Corona Knuckle and Corona Flame.

"But it has to be yours! You're the only human I've ever seen appear in the big picture box and you came through. You have to be the human I was waiting for!" Marcus senses the distress in Coronamon's voice, but before he can retort, a high-pitched scream rings out from below, startling both of them.

"What the…!" Marcus exclaims in response.

"Someone must be in trouble!" Coronamon shouts as he regains his composure. "It sounds like it came from the valley below!"

"Well what do we do? Do we check it out?" Marcus asks.

"I don't know! Is that what you think we should do?" Coronamon asks in response.

Marcus takes a moment to think but another high-pitched scream jolts him from his thoughts. "Ok. We check it out! Any way down from here?" Coronamon points: "There's a safe way down just a little in that direction."

"Fine. Lead the way…" _And let's hope we're not running headlong into suicide…_

* * *

Ying stirs and blinks her eyes, the image of a deep blue sky coming into focus. She slowly sits up, her attention being drawn to a magnificent misty waterfall. _Am I…dreaming?_

"Oh, you're awake! I was really worried that you hurt yourself when you came through." Ying is pulled from her thoughts by the voice and looks quickly to her side, noticing the purple and pink bunny-like creature she had seen on her computer screen. "Are you thirsty? There's plenty of water."

Ying lets out a high-pitched scream and the creature panics, letting out a scream of its own before diving into the nearby lake. Ying attempts to scramble to her feet but is too worked up and only manages to flop about on the ground, trying desperately to push herself away from the water's edge. The bunny peaks its head above the water to look at her but dives again when Ying screeches once more.

After a few moments of screaming, followed by a few moments of hyperventilating, Ying begins to catch her breath, still staring at the water, where the bunny has once again poked its head above the surface. "Please stop doing that. It really hurts my ears," the creature asks politely.

"You're….you're….you're a talking bunny! Where did you even come from? How are you even doing that!?"

The rabbit slowly raises its full body to the surface and clambers onto the shore. "I didn't mean to frighten you. You came flying from the magic box and hit your head on the rock. I wasn't really sure how I could help, so I waited and hoped you'd eventually wake."

As the rabbit's soft eyes stare at her, Ying relaxes somewhat, but soon grunts with some annoyance and starts glancing around. "This certainly isn't my room, so where exactly am I?"

"Why you're in the Digital World," the rabbit answers. "You are to be my partner so we can fix all which ails this land!"

"I'm supposed to do what now?" Ying asks, turning back to the rabbit suddenly. "I don't even know where I am! Why should I care about fixing whatever ails it?"

The rabbit seems entirely shocked by the question. "You…don't want to help all the other digimon? But… Gennai said the humans who came with these digivices would help us!" She holds up a tiny blue device. "He said we'd be partners!"

"Listen fluffy; I don't know who this Gennai person is, but I never agreed to do anything, least of all to partner up or whatever with some stupid talking pink rabbit! That stupid thing isn't even mine; some random weirdo I met just left it with me! Now stop wasting my time: I want to go home! Tell me how to get home!"

Before the rabbit could retort or reply, a large metallic fish face rises from the lake behind it and Ying lets out yet another high-pitched scream of terror. "What's with all the noise? I'm trying to sleep down here!" the large metal fish barks with disdain.

Ying screams and cries again, turning and attempting to flee into the jungle. At the same time, however, Marcus dashes out of the brush, right into her and they both fall to the ground.

"Are those…humans?" the metallic fish wonders aloud.

"Corona Knuckle!" Coronamon suddenly jumps from the brush near the lake and socks the fish with flaming paws, drawing a gasp of surprise from the rabbit. "I got him, Marcus! Great distraction!"

"Yea… Planned it that way…" Marcus mumbles as he rubs his head and sits back up.

"Why'd you do that?" the rabbit asks. "It's not nice to just attack people!" Coronamon looks at her in confusion. "Wasn't he attacking you? Why else would that human be screaming?"

Ying sits up, grumbling from the pain in her forehead, but leaps at Marcus immediately upon seeing him. "Oh thank goodness! Someone found me! There are talking monsters everywhere!"

Marcus grumbles as she latches onto him and squirms in an attempt to get free, but Ying's grip is too strong. "Who whoa, calm down! We took care of the fish," Marcus assures.

"Fossil Bite!" the metallic fish suddenly shoots up from beneath the surface and clamps its jaws down on Coronamon. The fiery creature squeals as his opponent swings him about before tossing him into the hard rocks on the shore.

"Or not…" Marcus corrects himself nervously. "Let's see if this can tell me anything." He checks his digivice, pointing it at the fish. Sure enough, its information comes up: Coelamon. Ancient fish digimon. Champion level of the Data type. Looks like he has some pretty tough armor and his special attacks are Fossil Bite and Iron Scales.

"Make it go away! Make it go away!" Ying pleads, squeezing Marcus and burying her face in his shirt. Coronamon returns to his feet and stares down Coelamon as it comes ashore, bearing its fangs at the little furry digimon.

"No, wait! Stop! Please don't fight!" the rabbit digimon pleads. "There's been a misunderstanding! He wasn't attacking anyone!"

"Iron Scales!" Coelamon swings his tail, unleashing a barrage of projectiles, which Coronamon leaps away from.

"Corona Knuckle!" Coronamon closes the distance between himself and Coelamon and lunges to attack, but the fish digimon merely swings his tail, batting the little rookie aside and sending him plummeting into the lake.

"Coronamon!" Marcus shouts as he struggles to escape Ying's surprisingly tight grip.

The rabbit digimon dives into the lake, and, after a few moments, resurfaces with Coronamon and drags him safely to shore. "Please, Coelamon: don't attack! We're sorry for disturbing your sleep," she pleads.

Coelamon stands down before growling, "He is the one that attacked me!"

"He thought you were attacking me and my human. Please: it was all just one big misunderstanding!"

Marcus finally manages to break out of Ying's grip and dashes over to Coronamon, who coughs up water as his flames flicker dimly. "That could have gone better…"

"You alright, Coronamon?"

"It's still here! Make it go away! Make it go away!" Ying shouts, hiding behind a tree.

"Would you tell that one to stop being so loud?" Coelamon grumbles with exasperation.

"We're sorry! We'll leave right away so you can go back to sleep," the rabbit digimon assures with a bow of her head. Marcus and Ying watch as Coelamon recedes back into the water and disappears beneath the surface.

"Is it gone?" Ying asks after a few moments, coming out from behind the rock.

"Yea. Looks like it," Marcus replies, lifting Coronamon and holding him in his arms. "What was that all about? If he wasn't attacking, why were you screaming so much?"

"Because it was gross and scary!" Ying barks back.

"My partner was just scared. I didn't know what to do to calm her…" the rabbit digimon adds.

Marcus looks down at the bunny before shifting Coronamon in his arms and raising his digivice to her. Lunamon. Rookie level aquatic rabbit digimon of the Data type. Special attacks: Luna Claw, Tear Shot, and Lop-ear Ripple. "So you're her partner like Coronamon is to me?"

"Who is asking?" Ying demands, quickly becoming irate at the fact that she is being ignored. "Who are you anyway? How'd you get here? Do you know how we can get out of here and back home?"

"I don't think I know anymore than you do," Marcus answers while making a placating gesture. "And the name's Marcus. Marcus Zable. Who might you be?"

Ying's face turns to a sour look and she averts her gaze, but eventually answers: "Ying Wan-Yan…"

"I don't mean to be rude, but we really should leave. I promised Coelamon we'd leave and not disturb him anymore," Lunamon interjects.

"We're talking!" Ying shouts at the pink and purple rabbit.

"Coronamon," Marcus mutters, ignoring the two of them, "do you know which way we go?" Coronamon's flames continue to flicker weakly, though a certain hint of strength enters them when Marcus addresses him. "No…but out of the jungle might be best."

"Lunamon? Know the way out?" Marcus asks. She shakes her head in response. "I guess we just pick a direction…"

"Fine, let's go this way…" Ying grumbles marching off in the direction of the least thick foliage. Marcus and Lunamon follow, and he soon asks, "Why this way?"

"Because it has the least branches and roots to trip over, that's why!" Ying practically spits at him. "Now stop asking dumb questions and just walk! I want to get home today!" Marcus groans in discomfort but follows nonetheless.


End file.
